Patrol

Video: Suspect Stabs, Beats New Mexico K-9 Unconscious

An Albuquerque man attacked a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office police dog Monday, repeatedly stabbing the dog in the back before knocking him out with a baseball bat, according to authorities.

Rex, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, was in emergency surgery Monday after Bernalillo County (NM) Sheriff's Office deputies say he was seriously wounded trying to help deputies take a violent suspect into custody earlier this morning, reports the Albuquerque Journal.

Rex, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois with the Bernalillo County (NM) Sheriff's Office, was stabbed and beaten while apprehending a suspect. (Photo: Bernalillo County sheriff's Office)

The suspect, 22-year-old Oscar M. Valadez, was eventually arrested and now faces a slew of felony charges, including extreme animal cruelty.

BCSO spokesman Johann Jareno said deputies were called to a fight between two brothers at a home around 3 a.m. Valadez had allegedly threatened his brother with a knife at an apartment there.

When deputies arrived, Valadez tried to leave and deputies cornered him by setting up a perimeter, Jareno said. That's when they noticed he was wielding a knife and a baseball bat, which he refused to drop.

Deputies sent Rex in to try to take Valadez into custody, and Valadez attacked the K-9 before attempting to cut his own throat with the knife, Jareno said. Deputies were able to use a Taser on Valadez and take him into custody, Jareno said.

The vet said Rex didn't have any broken bones, but needed surgery for the stab wounds.

The chief of the Nashville Metro Police Department took to Twitter late last week to plead for citizens to thank a police officer, appreciate the difficulty of their jobs, and understand that despite being fewer in numbers officers are being asked to do more and more every day.

The Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy posted on Facebook, "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Master Sergeant Daniel Hinton. Master Sergeant Hinton suffered cardiac arrest during a training exercise and was transported to Gulf Coast Hospital where he later passed away."